Sweet Music in Harlem
by Debbie Taylor (Author)
C. J. needs to act fast. A photographer from Highnote magazine is on his way to photograph Uncle Click, a well-known jazz musician, but Uncle Click's signature hat is missing.
Now it's up to C. J. to hunt down the hat in time for the photo shoot. Little does C. J. know that his whirlwind search through Harlem sets in motion the making of a magical moment of friendship and music.
Illustrated with exuberance by fine artist Frank Morrison, Sweet Music in Harlem is an action-packed romp inspired by an historic photograph from Harlem's jazz heyday. Readers everywhere will rejoice in the power of music to bring people together in wonderful, fun-filled ways.
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Publishers Weekly
Inspired by Art Kane's famous 1958 photograph of nearly 60 celebrated jazz musicians gathered in front of a brownstone in Harlem, first-time author Taylor relates the story of young C.J., who is trying to find his musician uncle's hat in time for a photo shoot for a jazz magazine. He finds his uncle's watch at the barber shop, his handkerchief at the restaurant and his bow tie at a nightclub. All the people C.J. has encountered in his search have come to join his uncle in the photo by the time the photographer arrives. They were "some of the greatest musicians and singers in Harlem. It was like seeing the sun, the moon, and the stars all shining at once." That evening his uncle gives C.J. an early birthday present of a new clarinet, and the two discover the hat tucked into the gift box; C.J.'s "own sweet music [rings] out clear and strong." In a confident debut, Morrison nearly channels Ernie Barnes, working in velvety, contrasting colors to depict characters with thin, elongated limbs and expressive faces. The arms and legs twist at right angles, and even the desks, cabinets, drapery and wooden floors seem to be full of energy. A full-page author's note reproduces the historical photograph and names all 57 musicians, among them whites as well as blacks; oddly, Morrison's painting shows only black artists assembled before the camera. Readers are bound to notice and puzzle at the change. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Publisher's Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Debbie Taylor is a first-time picture book author with a master's degree in creative writing. She works at the University of Michigan and has had several stories published in children's literary magazines including Spider, Cricket, and New Moon. Taylor and her family live in Ann Arbor, Michigan. To find out more about Debbie Taylor, visit her website: www.sweetmusicinharlem.com.
Frank Morrison has illustrated numerous award-winning books, including the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor winner Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, published by Lee & Low Books. Before becoming an illustrator, Morrison was a graffiti artist and b-boy. Morrison lives with his family in Georgia. You can learn more about him at morrisongraphics.com.
